The sky through binoculars. Wow...

[Momentous]

Well I managed to get out again (once Hull wasn't covered with cloud) and thought I'd take another look at the Moon (my other thread on here was about seeing it with my bins for the first time).

Unfortunately it was past midnight after I finished work and the Moon was too low for me to see from my back garden. Bit disappointed but I thought I might as well just look up and try and do some star hopping.

Bins up to my eyes and it was just completely intense!!!! I really had NO idea that there was so much up there that couldn't be seen with the naked eye! I was so used to just looking up and seeing constellations and very little else. Seeing just a small glimpse of what else was up there just really amazed me.

I don't want to come across as some dumbstruck teen (I'm 41), but seeing this for the first time made me realise how immense things are outside Earth.

Just thought I'd share this with you all. Lots more observing to come!

[Groucho Ben]

I love it! Glad you had an epiphanous night!

[Vega]

Great stuff.. and things will only get better after mid July when the milky way really shows off its backside in darker skies Sweeping through Cygnus and friends is a real treat (especially in bins)

[PorkyB]

There is so much up there that you would never know about until you have a look through bins. My favourite things are open clusters, something I had never even heard of six months ago.

[estwing]

i love just sweepin' the sky with mine

[onesmallstep]

Hi and welcome to the lounge.

I like to grab my bins and just have a leisurely sweep around the night sky to see what's there.

[JamesM]

Well it certainly pays to explore! You might want to take a look at this site for some specific ideas on what to take a look at, and you might also want to take a glance and this great site too which has plenty of suggested links included a list of observable messier objects here compiled by the 'Astronomical League' in the U.S.

Now it's all very well me giving you lists of number without you necessarily knowing where these objects are. So in addition to the above, you might want to take a look at a FREE piece of planetarium software called 'Stellarium' which you can view here. Easy to use and can be configured t your precise viewing location and has lots of great features to keep you occupied. Hope that helps.

James

[paul schofield]

I love my bins, best grab and go there is. I was blown away the first time I looked through mine.

[Paulus17]

Yes i also like looking through my bins:)

I was going to buy a telescope and came on this forum seeking advice as to which one to get,but took the advice on buying some decent bins and learning the night sky through those first,and i'm glad to say that i took that advice as i just love looking through the bins now at every opportunity i get.

But now i have the bigger 20x80s the moon looks spectracular through them:)

[Marki]

I don't want to come across as some dumbstruck teen (I'm 41), but seeing this for the first time made me realise how immense things are outside Earth.

Just thought I'd share this with you all. Lots more observing to come!

Thanks for sharing...thats why I love astronomy and stargazing; every time I turn my scope or my bins upwards, I feel like a dumbstruck teen:). It is so good to be in awe of our world and universe after the cares of the daily grind, to feel amazement and wonder instead of the low grade cynicism that seems to permeate the day to day. Even a few minutes grabbed between clouds is enough to lift my mood . Now, if only this rain will pass...!

[Hals]

The view with binoculars can be superb, in some ways better than a telescope (of course it depends on what and how you want to see things - bins and a telescope are complimentary). You get a real feeling of depth perception, the contrast I find is better and star colours really stand out.

Get to a dark sky site and make sure the bins are steady (mounted preferably) and the view will knock your socks off !

Using both eyes makes all the difference.

[sevs23]

I agree with using bins. I love mine. Great for hunting down fuzzies because of the Fov.

[BobSki]

I think your post is brilliant. It shows great enthusiasm and enjoyment from someone discovering how wonderful our night skies can be. Well done. In fact, you have iinspired me to get my Canon 18x50 IS Bino's dusted off as I haven't yet bought a scope. All I eed now is a giant duster to knock these ruddy clouds out of the sky.

Thanks also to JamesM for including some very useful links in his reply.

[Momentous]

Thanks for all the great replies! It's nice to know that there are plenty of other people out there who feel the same.

[KevUU]

Heh, don't worry about getting carried away I know the feeling... Earlier this year I pointed binos upwards for the first time, and emailed this to some friends afterwards:

"Have just been stargazing with binoculars for the first time.  This is only in my back garden so nothing posh.  But... Wow.

Just wow.

There's ... loads of ... stuff.  Just, loads of it.

Wow."

It's easy to feel a bit silly afterwards but whynot enjoy the moment and share it with people? I think it's great to see that enthusiasm - it's too easy to get bogged down with scopes and mounts and finders and eyepieces and eye relief and mag and focal length and aperture and and and... - it's easy to forget where it started from. So it's good to be reminded that it's all about the wow

[stevetynant]

theres many wow moments in Astronomy - looks like you've had your first one- well done and thanks for the report

next up - Saturn

Milky Way

Your first view of Jupiter through a telescope

The Orion Nebula

Your first visit to a really dark sky site

They just keep on coming - enjoy

[skywatcher250]

exactly how i was last night mate !!!! really struck every time i look up !!!! as i kinda mentioned on your other post bins are simply brilliant for casually enjoying the whole sky ! its great using both eyes to ! well done !

wait until u catch saturn thru a scope as stevtynant mentioned above

[Stargazing_Cliff]

I like looking through me binoculars they are awesome views

Things i have viewed with bino's is like moon, Jupiter and it's moon's, Orion nebula (M42) Horses head and Plaides (That is one awesome viewing) and moving satelites

[notaclue]

Summer is a good time for binos. But when October comes and you have Pliedes and your binos are locked onto them you will find the cluster is just spectacular. Plus the Andromeda galaxy in the near area of sky will make a few minutes pass by and then you see it was hours.